For most if not all fans intimately acquainted with the beautiful game today, a conventional disregard for the insurmountable deeds of players from past generations has more often than not proved to be the centre of disqualification in the conversation about the “Greatest of All Time” (G.O.A.T). Their arguments often revolve around matters like; football wasn’t as modernised and competitive then, players weren’t as astute, such players did not even play in Europe, and so forth. This has never been more relevant than in the case of Edson Arantes do Nascimento, simply known as Pelé.
Regarded by many as football’s godfather, the Brazilian has left behind a legacy that will stand the litmus test of time, and a reputation that might never ever be challenged. He was the first footballer to marvel the world in unison at a turbulent time, a global icon that earned worldwide popularity courtesy of his artistry even before the game was fully globalised, and of course, used this fame to elevate footballers to celebrity status. In fact, the player of the century is the mould upon which all modern footballers were and continue to be shaped.
He did not just shape the FIFA World Cup narrative, he literally built that house; the only player with three winner’s medals in football’s most coveted competition – a record that has existed since his last championship in Mexico 1970. He danced to his own beat while on the pitch, set new ethnic standards, changed the entire outlook of the game and redefined greatness, sold football to all corners of the world and did so with neither internet nor social media. Off the pitch, Pelé changed geopolitics with a modest approach and established himself as the voice the world listened to, especially when his presence with Santos in Nigeria for a friendly game against the Super Eagles in 1967 caused a 48-hour ceasefire between the country’s two warring factions.
Actually, Pelé is to football what Martin Luther King Junior is to the black community in the US and that precisely explains why his legacy simply stretches beyond; a skills workshop on pitch, scoring of incredible goals in the most acrobatic of ways, achieving individual accolades with both his club Santos and Brazil, and everything football has to offer. He might just be in the conversation of the greatest athlete or sportsperson to ever walk the earth given his influence on the entire world. Now that I think about it, Pelé with a political stand (and he never took one) could have been bigger than Muhammad Ali.
While debates for who is the G.O.A.T still continue to linger, and two Argentinians; Diego Armando Maradona (now deceased) and Lionel Messi come to mind, the reality is that majority oldtimers give Pelé the edge not only because of his staggering achievements, but also the influence and role in selling football to all corners of the world. It is imperative to remember that before the turn of the millennium, Pelé signed for New York Cosmos, an enormous deal at the time that saw him earn annual wages of $1.4M, all this geared towards promoting the game in the US. This indeed made the Major League Soccer (MLS) more marketable and ultimately grew it.
So then, why is Pelé regarded as the G.O.A.T? Why does his legacy stretch beyond football? Why are his achievements so impregnable? What was so special about him that got the world craving a piece of his mastery? How good was he really and why is his legacy something worth writing home about? To understand this to the letter, one needs to take a walk down memory lane, into the life of football’s most celebrated person and exciting talent of the late 1950s, 60s, and 70s before hanging his playing boots in October 1977.
Born 52 years after slavery was abolished in Brazil and right into the turbulent times of World War II (1940), Pelé was clearly not about to know any privilege given that his family was classified as not well off. “Pelé’s story is a tribute to the democratic nature of the game, for he saw first-hand what poverty looked like. Actually, this reality provided him with the best motivation as a shoe shine boy and he would later end up shining more brightly than anyone in the history of the game,” highlighted Brazilian journalist Tim Vickery.
Indeed, the game though traditionally unforgiving, punishing – as it so often does – any whiff of a mistake, can be accommodating to anyone, regardless of their background, provided one exhibits sophistication in artistry and stoicism of a veteran. That was Pelé according to the majority that saw him hit the floor and stamp the yard. Actually watching his clips had me extremely ecstatic and feeling like a player from the modern game – with all the benefits was taken back to show the old-timers how it is done. This probably explains why the Brazilian was no ordinary player even during his inception to football.
Before cracking the code in his debut FIFA World Cup championship with Brazil (Sweden 1958), where he brilliantly wrote his own history with 6 goals in four games, including a hat-trick against an incredible French side that had the luxury of fielding Just Fontaine, and a brace in the final against the hosts at just 17 years old, the game knew a different definition of greatness, one not quite as glaringly special as what the youngster presented. He allowed his country to dream when they had no business doing so and enthralled an entire generation.
Football had a love affair with super teams like a Hungary side led by Ferenc Puskas in Switzerland 1954 that played a brand we have come to associate with as “total football” before Pelé, as explained by a senior Brazilian editor Juca Kfouri in a podcast; “Football has known three super teams that never won a World Cup but got the world talking, Hungary in 1954, Holland in 1974, and Brazil in 1982,” he said before confirming; “There were good players like; Puskas, the Italian Giuseppe Meazza, Jose Nassazi from Uruguay and Brazilians like; Leonidas, Ademir or even Ziznho but the coming of Pelé changed everything.”
That said, for those still inquisitive, here is some more perspective; “There are two major reasons why Pelé is the greatest ever,” Kfouri highlights as he continues to say; “One, his achievements and two, his influence on the game. When you think about football, the first thing that comes to mind is Pelé.” Indeed, winning the FIFA World Cup thrice comes in handy and Pelé withered all the storm considering the conditions under which the game was played then. His ability to stand adversity does not also get mentioned enough as he considered quitting on a number of occasions but changed his mind right after.
He found a nation with a reputation of failure at the grand stage, a laughing stock on the continent-trolled by rivals and two-time world champions Uruguay, and made Brazil the most successful nation in the tournament with three championships during his tenure (They have since become five championships including; US 1994 and South Korea & Japan 2002). “For Brazil, the disappointment in the 1950 World Cup hurt deep, it led to the team not playing for two years and when they decided to come back, they changed colour from the black and white to the now iconic yellow and blue so as to start fresh. He (Pele) provided that fresh start for the country,” Kfouri concluded.
After his masterclass in Sweden (1958) where he won the Young Player of the tournament Award, Pelé found the following FIFA World Cup edition in Chile not as hospitable as the Brazilians struggled to live with the hard but yet fair style of the Europeans. He got injured in their second group stage game against Czechoslovakia and that marked the end of his tournament. That simply meant that Brazil more than ever sought inspiration from one of his teammates to step up and deliver the Holy Grail, and who better to do so than the other wonderkid in the team; Manuel Francisco dos Santos, commonly known as Mané Garrincha.
Branded a cripple as a child, Garrincha had an extraordinary story of his own-as it disturbed many how he had defied the odds and could play the game so lifelessly. A master of craft with the dribbles, Garrincha is regarded by many as one of the most talented players to ever play the game, and make no mistake about it, Chile 1962 helped shape this narrative. He was instrumental throughout the tournament and helped Brazil to a 3-1 win against Czechoslovakia at the final stage, helping Brazil defend the championship to become the second and last nation to do so after Italy in 1938. This exceptionally saw him win both the Golden Ball and Golden Shoe (boat) with 4 goals while at it.
While Chile 1962 gave Pelé his second FIFA World Cup gold, it isn’t as memorable for him and his legendary as Mexico 1970 is, since the latter helped cement his legacy in the aftermath of the disappointment in England 1966-where Brazil did not even leave the group stages as explained by former Brazilian commentator Luiz Mendez. “That was Pelé winning it with the greatest Brazilian squad the world has ever seen,” he deduced before he would make a comparison; “Of course, there is always talk of the Brazilian squad in Spain 1982 but they won nothing much as they were very talented.”
“That team had; Fëlix, Everard, Piazza, Brito, Carlos Alberto the captain, Gērson-who was the engine in that midfield with Clodoaldo and Rivellino, the attack had Tostäo, Jairzinho-who scored in all six games, and most importantly, the team had Pelé who was not even going for the tournament because of the insecurity in Brazil thanks to the military leadership, until he was convinced by the sports president,” Mendez stated. The team also had Mario Zagallo as coach, a loyal servant that had captained his nation during the glory of 1958 and 1962 and needed no invitation to instil a winning mentality.
The fact that Brazil were not even favourites, following the debacle in 1966 helped take some pressure off the players, but not Pelé being the only player in the team that had been part of the class of 1958. For Pelé, extra pressure was derived from the fact that he had chosen Mexico to be his last dance ground in the yellow and blue and needed no motivation to pounce. As a matter of fact, Brazil did not disappoint, playing with a style and swagger quite synonymous with them. The navigation through the knockouts against Peru where Didi was now coach, and a revenge against Uruguay for the 1950 Maracana agony in the quarter and semifinals respectively couldn’t have come any sweeter.
The final against Italy would prove to be Brazil’s easiest game of the tournament as they scored four goals, including a brilliantly executed team goal for the fourth. The kind of goal where every single Brazilian player on the pitch had a touch on the ball, the decisive moment coming from Clodoadlo bossing the ball in midfield and finding Rivellino, who played it in the path of Jairzinhno, the winger finding Pelé whose instinctive nature didn’t even suggest he looks before laying the ball in the path of Carlos Alberto to finish in a sublime manner and seal the game with arguably the greatest team goal in FIFA World Cup history.
Pelé rightfully won the Golden Ball for the most valuable player at the tournament as his teammates rushed to wax lyrical about his obviously immense contributions and mastery exhibited. “We always loved to say that Pelé’s thought process was so quick, he thought and executed in a very short time. I don’t think there will ever be a player quite like him,” Fēlix highlighted while Pelé’s captain and coach Mario Zagallo maintained that; “The calm that other players had in the centre circle, Pelé had it in the penalty area.”
Meanwhile, Italian centre-half and losing finalist in 1970, Burgnich admitted that; “I took the field thinking that Pelé was another player, I told myself that he was made of skin and bones, but I was wrong.” Pelé had yet again conquered the world and redefined success. The Mexico 1970 FIFA World Cup being the first edition to be televised globally in colour, would later become the single edition upon which subsequent FIFA World Cups are measured, Brazil would become the team upon which subsequent teams would be measured, and of course Pelé would become the player subsequent players would be measured, a poetic summation.
Let’s digest the second reason for Pelé’s GOAT status. Shall we? His influence and what he gave the game. So often when one speaks about greatness, it’s the achievements and influence that tend to take precedence. Think about the sport of golf for a minute; while Jack Nichlaus a.k.a “Golden Bear” is widely celebrated and has outrageous stats, the majority argue that Tiger Woods takes the G.O.A.T status because of his role in selling the game beyond the borders the sport knew. I would wager that if you said the word “Golf” to a group of people today, regardless of their age, status or race, their first response would be Tiger Woods, and that seals his reputation in the sport.
A little more perspective now in the sport of Tennis, shall we? While Margaret Court might have sealed her legacy in the female tennis division with 24 major Grand slams, despite Serena Williams coming so close with 23, the jury is still out there for the male division with the two athletes still active; Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. Many that however fell in love with the finesse and beauty that came with Roja Federer’s game will have him as a favourite, but as fact will have it, Djokovic and Nadal will still go the long way. Does it give you some context about where this is going? If not yet, then hold on to your seat belts!
Those that have had a chance to watch the Netflix series; “Last Dance”, should have been able to catch my drift by now. Michael Jordan is regarded as the G.O.A.T in the NBA but was he the most talented ever? Those that watched; Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, or even Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (the list is long) will either disagree or plead the fifth with you. So if Jordan wasn’t the most talented, why is he the G.O.A.T? Two reasons still; achievements and role in the globalisation of the game. Jordan won six rings with the Chicago Bulls, a one-franchise player, winning six rings? That makes for a Hollywood blockbuster, something none of his competitors have.
The NBA was also marketed around Jordan at the turn of the millennium and everyone born in the 90s like your Columnist followed the NBA because Jordan was marketing it. Those are two intangibles none of his competitors has, just like is the case with Pelé in football. Was Pelé the most talented player to ever play the game? Maybe yes, maybe not but that’s not the issue because greatness must at least have an inclination to achievements and influence. There isn’t a player that influenced or achieved more from the game of football than Pelé considering the fact that the FIFA World Cup is the single greatest achievement in the sport.
Maradona often comes to mind because of his incredible career, headlined by his heroic deeds as he single-handedly turned Italian side Napoli into a title contender and won the 1987 and 1990 Italian championships, eventually having his Jersey 10 retired by the club in his honour after retiring from the game. His magical FIFA World Cup triumph in Mexico 1986 also goes without mention given the level of high calibre mentality and performances to lift his Argentine side past a good West Germany team in the finals. All this puts him in the conversation but did he achieve more than Pelé? You have your answer.
First forward to Lionel Messi, a player that has had an illustrious career with a litany of achievements. Where does someone even start? Is it on loads of goals, or the mouthwatering manner under which he takes them, is it the seven Ballon d’Or (and they could soon be eight) or the other individual accolades? I ran out of fingers counting. However, what’s important and brings relevance to this conversation is his recent glory, clinching the FIFA World Cup 2022 championship in Qatar to cement his legacy as the greatest of his generation. Has he achieved more or even enthralled a generation like the Brazilian magnifico did? You still have your answer.
To reiterate this more, the greatest achievement in the game of football is a World Cup gold, at least according to football’s governing body (FIFA), Pelé has three and his major competitors can’t beat that. Furthermore, the notion that not playing in Europe disqualifies Pele from the conversation is as absurd as it is laughable. It is guided by some subjective European journalists and pundits that have engendered the kind of narrative that one has to play in their top leagues to be great. The only reason why Pelé never played in Europe was because of a bill enacted in 1961 by Janio Quadros, the Brazilian president then. A bill that rendered Pele a national treasure who was not to leave Brazil to play for any other club around the world. Perhaps he would have won the Ballon d’Or every single season had he played in Europe. We shall certainly never know.
If the argument that Pelé isn’t the G.O.A.T because he never played in Europe holds any water, then the Brazilian squad of 1982 coached by Tele Santana should also be disqualified as greats being that none of those players played in Europe, the stars of the team played in the Brazilian topflight league; Zico played for Flamengo, Falcao played for SC Internacional, the captain Socratis played for Corinthians and Botafogo a bit earlier in his career, and so forth. This never stopped them from still managing to marvel the world. Exceptional talent is exceptional talent regardless of where they play and that should be accounted for. The 1,281 goals that Pelé scored in his career continue to be the benchmark for today’s stats with the likes of; Josef Bican, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi keeping up with this milestone.
Even after his illustrious career and during a three-year stint as the Minister of Sports for Brazil (between 1995 and 1998), Pelé still explored the motivation that his service did not need to be a zero-sum game and dedicated himself to unconditional service. He found pleasure in serving the game he loved so dearly, the game that made him an international icon, and a worldwide star. His autobiography continues to be an inspiration for movies including the 2016 masterpiece “Pele: Birth of a Legend” which highlights the scenes of the FIFA World Cup 1958 in Sweden. No prizes for guessing whether more movies will be made about his life.
While the stranger has yet again visited the beautiful game and cast a dark shadow that has seen football’s brightest light burn out, and as he goes ahead to pitch up in heaven, there is no doubt that the world will always remember Pelé as the Brazilian that used football to make humanity dream. His passing has been felt deeply across the game’s stark divide considering that his life straddled a little over eight decades, hopping metaphorically, if not literally from sports to humanitarianism-sports to sports politics. He was unparalleled as a player and undisputedly conquered the most shimmering stage in football to breathe life into the supposition that renders him the Greatest sportsperson of All Time. Rest in Peace Legend.
